You Need to Visit Paris’ Oldest Restaurants on Your Next Visit

One of the most famous restaurants in the world, la Tour d’Argent was born in 1582 as a humble inn on the outskirts of Paris. Named after a shimmering Renaissance castle which it faced, the “Silver Tower” soon attracted the attention of King Henri IV, drawn to its excellent cuisine eaten with a new utensil, the fork. Many other regal clients, from emperors to tsars, would go on to frequent the gastronomic institution. In 1911 it was bought by André Terrail, whose family still owns it today. The savvy restaurateur propelled La Tour d’Argent to new heights–in reputation and physically by increasing the two-story building to six and topping it with a panoramic dining room. This is where current-day customers can savor its famed numbered duck, wine from its legendary wine cellar, and its soaring views over the city.

In 1680 a wine shop serving some modest fare opened in a house (cheze in old French) amidst the fields west of the capital, now the 7th arrondissement. Its original wrought-iron grill and sign beckon diners into its classic dining room, once popular with Chateaubriand, Georges Sand, and President François Mitterrand. Gone are the days when its menu included fish caught from the Seine, instead it features well-prepared soupe à l’oignon, magret de canard, beef tartare, and other French favorites.

Although it was originally a café, Le Procope is now one of Paris’s most historic restaurants. Established in 1686, the coffee house became a meeting point for Left Bank philosophers, writers, and revolutionaries. Nods to its roster of illustrious regulars, from Rousseau to Robespierre and from Benjamin Franklin to Paul Verlaine, decorate its maze of dining rooms. Although its cuisine isn’t as revolutionary as its former customers, the menu offers respectable modern takes on classics such as coq au vin and sole Meunière.

Opened in 1740, this brasserie used to be a popular watering hole for the workers of Les Halles, the city’s former central food market. Although its decor has evolved over the centuries, it still features clues to its name, “At the Smoking Dog,” via its logo, cheeky canine paintings, and decorative panels on its zinc bar. If you don’t sit down inside for a meal of its seafood specialties, you also can stop by for a drink on its terrace overlooking where the market halls once stood.

This chic venue in the 6th district is certainly the most seductive of Paris’s historic restaurants. Originally opened as a wine merchant in 1766, in the 19th century it became a favorite haunt of the Parisian elite–and their mistresses. Beyond its elegant dining room are private salons, whose mirrors still bear scratches made by these ladies of pleasure, testing the authenticity of diamonds gifted to them by their wealthy benefactors. In 1933 it became the first restaurant in Paris to earn three Michelin stars, although these have since been lost, the posh restaurant still dazzles.

Arriving in front of this restaurant found at the beginning of rue Montorgueil, you won’t have any doubt as to the dish it’s specialized in since 1832. Originally called L’Escargot d’Or, a large golden snail still sits above the entrance. It would take almost a hundred years before it became a smash hit, thanks to its new owner André Terrail, of the Tour d’Argent. During the roaring twenties, you could dig out buttery snails from their shells next to Pablo Picasso, Salvator Dali, or Charlie Chaplin. Today this stylish venue proposes traditional escargots de Bourgogne, creative versions of this quintessentially French specialty, and a range of less slippery dishes.

Originally a cheese store and restaurant dating back to 1845, in the 20th century this restaurant’s location in the heart of literary Paris made it popular with both French and foreign writers including Paul Valéry, André Gide, James Joyce, and Ernest Hemingway. Today these scribes have been replaced with the young writers of tomorrow and other diners attracted by its reasonably priced menu and old-school ambiance.

One of the city’s original bouillons, eateries offering simple traditional dishes at low prices, this is the best bargain for a historic restaurant in Paris. Originally founded in 1858, the restaurant was bought by bouillon baron Edouard Chartier in 1903. Like a number of the other restaurants in his empire, he had it redecorated in the fashionable Art Nouveau style. Despite changing hands a few times before returning under the Chartier label in 2019, its ornately carved mirrors, floral tiles, gilded light fixtures, and stained-glass ceiling have miraculously remained intact. Within this sensational setting, you can feast on a three-course meal with wine for less than one dish would cost you at most Paris restaurants.

Prestigious from day one, the café and restaurant of Place de l’Opéra’s Grand Hotel were both inaugurated in 1862 in grand pomp and in the presence of Empress Eugénie. Its majestic Second Empire interiors of gilded columns, intricate moldings, and painted ceilings have tempted celebrated patrons from the future King Edward VII to Marlene Dietrich. The café menu features refined “casual” fare such as croque monsieur and salads, whereas the restaurant has more creative contemporary cuisine–all at prices as spectacular as the decor.